While more than 26,000 L.A. County day laborers hope for a few hours of work every day, the housing crisis and recession have abandoned most to a fruitless search, made even tougher by anti-immigration sentiments, ineffective city-funded day laborer centers and an influx of Latin American immigrants, all competing against a much larger demographic than previously existed. >>>

Trade jobs can be a path to economic stability. Bricklayer apprentices with no experience start with a base wage of $12 an hour, but can top out at $46 an hour. Add benefits and union membership, and there’s a recipe for a stable middle class income. So what's the problem? >>>

"Like others here, enrolling at the poker-dealing course at Casino College is his last-ditch effort in a string of unsuccessful tries of getting back on his feet. Though the chips here have no cash value, by enrolling in the school, Fernandez is making a bet that there’s a job on the other end. The problem is, landing a full-time dealing job in Las Vegas right now is a moon shot." >>>

Twenty-five-year-old Melody Verdugo chose to quit her job in music publishing in April to pursue her dream as a freelance songwriter. >>>

Fifty-six-year-old Calvin Sweeney, an NFL and USC football star, lost his job as a manager at United Parcel Service in 2010. >>>

Cheryl Kono loved seeing the impact her work made on students’ lives. She was fired by LAUSD, but she’s still driven to give to the community. >>>